Be sure to hand out warnings as a sign of something worse to come, but do so with the betterment of the company in mind. Example: "Would you say your boss treated you unfairly? At this point, be sympathetic, recognize their anger and take all the blame whether justified or not. First if you're in a business with a probationary period for new personnel then your life is easier. What format should I use with my employee separation agreement?

But, if you must stay, the proper course is to keep both accountants and try to rehabilitate them. But most managers don't ask workforce to do this. As a side note, there have been cases, tested in court in the United States, where workforce refused to carry out a directive on religious grounds and their employers dismissed them for disobedience. Is the layoff justified given the employee's tenure with firm, past performance history and recent papers of performance problems? But if a verbal notice does not work then the manager should resort to a written warning letter. In the workplace, showing favoritism to one employee can alienate the rest of the staff. As a manager or supervisor, you may feel that an employee's actions warrant immediate termination or separating them before their contract expires. It bears repeating, you shouldn't be subjective in your writing, and you shouldn't give opinions on why the difficult individual crossed the line. Also, it is important the jobholder was dismissed for no fault of their own, so if the employee was laid off due to a disciplinary reason it may keep them from receiving unemployment. Be aware there is a difference between an employee's *failure* to carry out a direct order and a *refusal* to carry out a direct order. If escalating discipline including oral and written warning cannot resolve the problems with a worker, it becomes necessary to layoff them.